


A Gift of the Heart

by pushhhs



Series: A Gift of the Heart [1]
Category: Sky: Children of the Light (Video Game), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cute, Dating, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Flirting, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Romance, Valentine's Day, deancas in sky cotl universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:26:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29435292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pushhhs/pseuds/pushhhs
Summary: Deancas in Sky: Children of the Light universe.Dean and Castiel have been together for years. This Valentine's they take their relationship up to another level.Also the one where they just go on dates and be cute the whole time.**Updated with imgur link to pictures of the world**
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: A Gift of the Heart [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2164227
Kudos: 4





	A Gift of the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: May contain spoilers for the game Sky: Children of the Light!
> 
> I've always wanted to write a fic where Dean and Cas live in the COTL world because it is SO BEAUTIFUL! And while thinking of what to write for Valentine's day I started drafting this and it turned into a four-hour single sitting of writing. 
> 
> It's their wedding today, Valentine's Day, and I'm attending! (we all are hopefully!)
> 
> Now with images to help your imagination! https://imgur.com/a/DgDl0yx

Castiel opened his eyes to the blinding light that faded into a clear blue sky, the soft white clouds floating peacefully along the guidance of the wind that propelled them towards the left. The towering gates that each held the entrance to the seven realms of their world. He looked up for a while, taking in the beautiful light shining onto his face, and watched as the clouds disappeared from the little island he stood on, surrounded by a vast ocean of deep cobalt blue, the calm ripples enticing Skyfolk like him to swim in, knowing there was no imminent danger around.

It was home.

A soft sound of a strumming guitar wafted through the breeze as he stretched and stepped off the stone platform, of which he could see huge constellations in the sky from as they magically appeared by the blessing of the flat rock. The star that he had named after his lover, Dean, shone brightly in the sky, informing Castiel that Dean was awake.

He tried to warp to his lover, only to find that he was still rooted to the ground upon which he stood. A warm feeling burst in his diamond-shaped crest that was exposed from his chest, and he smiled, knowing that he stood on the same island that Dean was.

The soft strumming came again, a little broken between each chord, like the player was trying to memorise and perfect the song. He looked around, knowing that there was no one else here, so he gave a small flap of his arms, his trusty cape following the movement and propelling him off the ground and high into the sky where he could feel a stronger breeze blowing, and glided towards the huge rock where little shallow caves stood and held all the Skyfolk’s clothings, allowing them to change at any time. 

He plopped onto the soft grass above the huge rock, behind a strumming man who sat himself in a small concave nook of the rock, hugging his crimson red guitar, his head bobbing along with his movements as he tried to figure out the next chords. Castiel watched for a while, noting the man’s improvement as he went, only tapping the man’s shoulder when he decided to pause for a short break.

The man jerked and kept his guitar, throwing it behind his back, and turned around scrambling to his feet with his beautiful glowing green eyes to meet Castiel’s, a small pink flush showing through his mask.

“Cas!” Dean fidgeted, a little nervous and surprised.

Castiel chuckled softly, extending his arms out as he always did when they met, inviting Dean in for a hug. Dean stepped forward eagerly, his gleaming apple green cape fluttering in joy as he wrapped his arms around Castiel and allowed himself to be squeezed tightly by his lover, his own body doing the same.

“What are you doing up so early?” Castiel asked as he snuggled deeper into the crook of Dean’s neck, knowing that his lover wasn’t exactly a morning person. He smiled softly at the memory of him waking Dean up at the break of dawn in his little tree home that he had claimed, and Dean wildly thrashing about in protest as Castiel tried to drag him out of his comfy bed and soft pillows. An impromptu battle of tug-of-war had started between Castiel and the bed, Dean being the rope that refused to let go of his blankets. Ultimately, Castiel won as Dean crashed onto the hard floor and pouted all the way through their walk as Castiel shook his head and laughed at his lover.

Dean’s temper disappeared immediately after he realised Castiel was bringing him to see the sunrise, and they shared a beautiful morning with tender kisses and soft, comforting hugs as they bathed under the golden rays of the morning sun.

Though he did plead with Castiel to never wake him up that early again.

“I- uh…” Dean pulled back, his eyes flickered about as he tried to think of his answer. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Castiel cocked an eyebrow, obviously not believing Dean’s excuse, but he didn’t call his lover out. Instead he gave Dean one last squeeze and dropped his hands, his lips forming a soft smile as he noted Dean’s disappointment from his eyes.

“I’m going to the garden. Do you want to come?” Castiel extended his hand out in invitation. Dean eagerly nodded and held on to Castiel, a small burst of warmth radiating from their connected hands. Castiel dragged Dean off to his favourite realm, Daylight Prairie. 

They passed the gate that reflected the beautiful grassland from the entrance, and a white light flashed before they both opened their eyes again to be greeted by pale green grass and a flock of white birds playing by the cliff they stood. Castiel moved forward and the flock dispersed, only reuniting when he jumped off the cliff and softly landed onto the ground below. He dipped his feet in the cool pond that stood in the middle of the home space, as he watched two unlit grey strangers sitting on a stone bench, having a hearty conversation. He dragged Dean to the edge of the next cliff where the home space laid, and jumped into the sea of clouds that had a tunnel opened in the middle of it. 

He ignored the tight tunnel, disliking the strong wind currents that made it easy to disorient Skyfolk, sometimes turning them right back to where they started. They soared above the fluffy clouds that stayed stationary in the face of the strong wind ruffling their soft curled edges, as if they were glued to the ground.

The next area of the prairie revealed itself in the horizon as they soared higher and further, the glowing pink and yellow flowers that dotted the land swaying along the small breeze that never stopped in the prairie, colouring the predominant green with life. Castiel dived down, feeling Dean’s grip tighten. He gave Dean a reassuring smile, knowing that he was still afraid of flying. He squeezed Dean’s hand as they came nearer to the ground, and Castiel used his free hand to push himself off before his head collided with the floor and pulled his torso up so his feet could land safely onto the short blades of soft grass. He looked to Dean, who smiled at him calmly, but the jerky short flaps of his cape betrayed his calm demeanour. 

Castiel laughed. 

“We’ll walk from here.” he reassured, earning a relieved slump of shoulders from Dean.

Castiel watched his lover who tried hard to hide his fear, and he couldn’t help himself but let go of Dean’s hand and ask for a hug again. It was their culture, to ask for consent with another Skyfolk for interaction with each other. Dean smiled and stepped into Castiel’s arms, this time burying his head in Castiel’s shoulder as he hugged him tightly.

Castiel petted his lover’s head, knowing that he hadn’t really gotten over his fear of flight yet. He understood.

He remembered when he first met Dean, still a young amateur ‘moth’ (it was an endearing term that seasoned Skyfolk called new Skykids, because they liked to light strangers to meet new people and see the beautiful world they lived in for the first time. It reminded Skyfolk of how moths deviate to light, much like these new additions do when they meet new people) in the broken battlefield that destroyed a once beautiful realm, after a fierce battle where the Elder of the Golden realm had fought to keep their world safe from darkness that invaded. Sadly, the monsters had overpowered the Elder and he, in his last breath, had sacrificed himself before the darkness consumed him. The bright blue skies turned into a musty olive green overnight, the air was stale and suffocating, the golden sand that earned the realm its name turned into a pale grey, devoid of its once glorious colour. The once clear blue water that sparkled like a thousand sapphire gems turned into a dark void with the surface glistening of colours that resembled an oil spill. The realm was infested with darkness crabs, violent little creatures with a rock hard body, hostile to every Skyfolk that crossed their path, and patrolling dark dragons whose only purpose was to eat the light of every single Skyfolk that unfortunately ventured into their line of sight, robbing the poor thing of their light and flight.

Castiel was doing his daily rounds, collecting wax from the devastated world to forge his candles with, the currency of their world. He had memorised the patrolling patterns of the dark dragons after many gruelling encounters, thankfully saved by unlit strangers that passed by. The glowing white stars on their capes had always indicated that those were seasoned Skyfolk that took the time to help him regain his light and guided him off to a safe spot before going along with their day. 

The crabs were much easier to deal with, a deep call of his true voice was enough to knock the crabs out for a short while, allowing him time to collect his wax. He just had to be mindful of the oily water that slowly sapped the light out of his body.

He was flying through the broken temple that led to the graveyard, where the bones of the dark creatures laid as proof of the devastating war their ancestors had fought valiantly in to protect their land. He was almost across, flying higher than the dark dragon that focused its gaze on the ground instead, when he heard a soft honk behind him. At the exact same time that he turned around, the dark dragon bellowed in hostility as its single eye was trained on a desperately flying moth, flashing red in alarm as the moth honked in his true voice and twisted his body around and flying everywhere, trying to shake the large creature. 

Before Castiel could fly to the poor thing and push him away, the dark dragon striked first, aggressively ramming the moth with its large body and slamming the moth into the wall, the stars that he had collected spilling out of his body as his light was knocked out of him and he turned into a faceless grey body, his common brown cape draining into a useless white cloth. 

Castiel frantically flew to recollect the stars that the moth had lost when the dark dragon disappeared to regain its strength. They were star children that gave Skyfolk more strength to fly higher and longer, and an essential part to their rebirth. He couldn’t salvage the stars that had fallen into the dangerous waters, watching mournfully as the blinking blue light vanished into the oil. The regained stars flew their way back to the moth’s body, and Castiel grimaced as he heard the painful slash of a lost wedge. 

The moth had lost enough stars to lose a wing. 

The grey body laid unconscious on the floor, and Castiel quickly moved to the boy who didn’t move an inch. He was sure the boy was still alive, Skyfolk didn’t die unless they underwent their rebirth or lost all their light. To make sure, Castiel turned the boy onto his side to check his white, limp cape. Five holes where the wedges used to be ingrained in moved with the cape. 

Castiel breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t lose all his wedges, which were his light.

Castiel stepped back from the boy and bent his knees, calling out from deep inside his crest as a white light travelled out of his body to his surroundings, encapsulating the boy in the barrier. Immediately, colour flushed into the boy’s body again, the limpless cape regaining its brown and fluttering with life, the boy’s features materialising back as he blinked open and raised himself from the ground. Castiel tilted his head in concern as he watched the (admittedly attractive) boy stand and look around, and found himself breathing in sharply when the bright green eyes from behind the boy’s mask landed in his direction. The boy flapped his wings in fear, frantically searching his environment. Castiel broke out of his daze, realizing he was afraid that the dark dragon would return. 

And he would be right, as he heard the clanging of the dragon’s rigid body digging out of the ground to continue its patrolling. Castiel sighed, forging a candle quickly from the wax he had collected in the previous areas, and offered it to the shaking fearful boy. He kneeled down on one knee, offering his friendship, holding out the large white candle with a rainbow glow as a gift. The boy paused for a moment, before he accepted the gift. The candle melted into glowing balls of wax that flew and fell into the boy’s cupped hands, which he then brought to his own crest for his body to absorb, accepting the new bond that they created.

Castiel didn’t really like adopting new Skykids (regardless of age, not all moths were children), but he couldn’t leave the poor moth alone. He gave a few more of his precious candles, his heart aching for his hard-earned money as he poured another six to give the boy a voice (they also needed consent to speak with each other, unless they were on a stone bench or ‘tables’, which allowed them to converse even as strangers). 

He held his hand out in silence, noting that the dark dragon was drawing near, and they weren’t in a safe spot. The boy stepped forward cautiously, hesitating for a second before the sound of the growling dragon made him jump and grab Castiel without a second thought.

Castiel took the boy, he had named him Oyotosa randomly, through the entire Golden Wasteland (the new name for the realm, honouring what it used to be and what it had become). He helped Oyotosa collect wax for future spendings, showing him the locations of their ancestors he had yet to visit, and more star children to regain his strength again. The boy tensed whenever they were near the dark dragons, which was basically always since the place was teeming with them, but began to relax when he realised that Castiel knew what he was doing. They were noticed once, and Oyotosa frantically debated whether he should let go of Castiel, before his thoughts were thoroughly ceased when Castiel flew behind a rock that obstructed the creature’s view, and casted an apologetic glance at the panicking boy while waiting for the creature to give up on looking for them.

They finally reached the Elder’s temple where they were safe, and Castiel let go of the shaking boy that now also had admiration in his gaze.

“Hello, my name is Castiel.” he started, thinking it rude if he didn’t introduce himself.

The boy stared at him with no response. Castiel began to wonder if he was mute.

“Dean.” the boy smiled.

The rest was history. Dean clung on to Castiel every second he had, looking for Castiel everyday and enjoying their candle runs everyday, sometimes even leading to start memorising where the wax was. He never chose to fly unless absolutely necessary, however. He developed a fear of the wasteland, always sheepishly grabbing Castiel instead before the latter could offer, and Castiel didn’t mind one bit to protect the beautiful friend that he had made.

The boy would later confide in him on how he couldn’t control his flight well, and feared that he would be mocked for being a Skyfolk that was afraid to fly. Castiel had given him his first hug that night as they sat under the starry purple sky of the colosseum, reassuring his friend that his worth didn’t stop at his ability to fly.

Soon they grew closer, unlocking friendship levels and rebirthing together, the process so painful that Dean was horrified the first time, because he was actually  _ dying _ , but Castiel had waited for him on the path to the Orbit where they will be resurrected, and the journey there as they watched the destruction and recreation of the world, and the flight to the Orbit through the vast galaxy that they lived in, was enough to soothe Dean and let him realise that it was a part of life, and he was ready to accept it.

Dean was actually the first to propose that they upgrade their friendship beyond… well, friendship. They had sat on a secluded cliff, a relatively unvisited area in the Isle of Dawn, where all Skyfolk began their journey to learn of the world. Dean pulled out a swing after using a spell, and Castiel raised an eyebrow.

Did he not know that the swing was reserved for couples only?

But Castiel couldn’t reel in his excitement. They had been together for years, and the growing crush on the man was getting hard to hide.

It was the happiest day of his life when Dean sat on the swing with him, little hearts popping out of the swing as a romantic effect, and he confessed.

It wasn’t a grand confession, but it was enough for Castiel to jump off the swing at lightning speed and lunging at Dean, both rolling around on the grass and into the small pond as they giggled and kissed and shared answers to their common question of ‘when did you know?’

The pair sauntered off to a small clearing that Castiel had found. The land was barren when he first discovered it, and with the help of Dean, they had planted beautiful flowers from different realms to shape their very own personal garden. Dean even built a little beehouse for Castiel, knowing that he loved bees, and built little furniture along the years to decorate their homely garden that belonged to just the two of them. Dean took a seat on the wooden bench he had made to set near the pond, taking some fish food from a woven bamboo basket nearby to feed the fish that swam leisurely in the pond. He sprinkled the brown spheres onto the surface of the water and watched the fish hungrily inhale the food, before turning his gaze to Castiel who tended to the bees and collected the honey. Somehow, the bees knew that Castiel was no harm to them, and even readily offered him their honey, the sweetest and most fragrant kind, to show their gratitude. 

A couple of small birds landed in a flower bush nearby, poking their heads out from the dense leaves before shuffling back inside and out of view. A few butterflies fluttered in the wind as they collected nectar and pollinated flowers, a peaceful and serene job fitting for the quiet surrounding. Castiel walked over to Dean and took a seat beside him, laying his head on the man’s broad shoulders and intertwining their fingers together as they took in the beautiful lively sight.

“Hey Cas.”

Castiel hummed in a questioning tone.

“Uh, could you meet me at the door outside the Ceremonial platform later?” Dean asked nervously. “Say, in about an hour?”

Castiel raised his head from Dean’s shoulder to look at the man’s side profile. Dean turned his head slightly to meet Castiel’s eyes, and Castiel smirked at the man.

“Dean Winchester, are you asking me out on a date?” he teased.

A wide grin grew from Dean’s lips and he hugged Castiel closer.

“Maybe.” he whispered in his ear.

Castiel chuckled and planted a kiss on Dean’s mouth. “See you in an hour then.”

Dean sat down and meditated to warp home, giving Castiel a wink and a smile in adoration.

“See you.”

***

Castiel had no idea what to wear. He went through his entire wardrobe, his fifty capes, his twenty over outfits, and accessories and masks, and he still didn’t know what to go for. It was funny, really, how they’d been dating for many seasons now and yet it still felt like he was always stuck in the first few months of their relationship, worrying if he looked good enough to Dean, or whether he  _ was _ good enough for Dean. Ultimately, he decided to go for a navy blue cape with a light blue hem, donning a typical beige shirt tucked into black chino trousers, and a blue mask with pink triangles underneath his eyes. He put on the manta pendant that Dean had bought for him. It was an orange pendant, the chain part made of orange beads threaded closely together, and held a golden orange manta that Castiel had found incredibly adorable. He tried to style his unruly hair to no avail, but considered that he’d dress up every other part of himself, so he left it.

The hour was almost up. He flew back into the prairie, heading through the grasslands and straight to the bell villages that stood on three individual islands, surrounded by a sea of clouds, where a cave on one of the village islands held a gate that led to a beautiful place. The Ceremonial platform was a sacred place where Skyfolk came together to worship the seven spirits and raise their candles together to form a bright glow that could rival the sun, celebrating the light that gave them life. It also held the grave of Oreo, an incredibly adorable puppy that met his end too soon. Their ancestors erected a grave for the sweet hyperactive puppy, allowing the life energy of eight Skyfolk to call upon Oreo’s spirit and play with him, though he was confined to the spiritual place along with the ancestors.

Castiel entered the already opened gate, which only unlocked with the help of two Skyfolks. Crossing the spirit gate that protected the sacred land, he entered the dark cave to the elevator that would lead up to the platform. A small area of grass, a patch of flowers, and some baby jellyfish served as a serene welcome before the elevator up to the sacred land.

Sat by the lone blue flower that had grown larger than any flower the world had seen, towering over some smaller Skyfolk, was Dean with his crimson guitar out. Dean looked up from his instrument upon hearing Castiel’s soft footsteps on the grass, and gave a huge grin when he noticed Castiel. He gave a compliment on how beautiful Castiel looked, causing his lover to give a blush that showed from behind his mask, and ushered Castiel to sit down beside him. Castiel opted to lay on his stomach, cupping his face in his hands, and watched Dean endearingly as he cleared his throat and gave him a wink.

The soft strumming started, the strings resonating a humming low sound as the beautiful chords formed the beginnings to ‘La vie en rose’. Then, Dean’s voice rang through the echoing cave as he started the gentle tune and sang as he watched Castiel. It wasn’t the best voice, it wasn’t perfectly in tune and the most holy sound he’s heard in his life, but it was Dean’s, and it was perfect. Castiel smiled, taking in everything. Dean’s voice, his endearing gaze, his hands softly strumming the strings, his not-so-perfect pronunciation of French, and everything made Castiel fall in love with the man before him even more than he thought he could. As Dean’s voice rang louder, reaching the climax and letting himself go with his overflowing love all put into the simple song, Castiel found himself humming along and soon they were duetting together, their eyes never leaving each other as they smiled wider. The song came to a gentle close, the last chord ringing extra long as it bounced off the walls of the dimly lit cave, and the couple shared a kiss before Dean swung the guitar onto the back, hugging Castiel tightly as their lips parted to deepen the intimate kiss. 

As they pulled away, Castiel still reluctant on leaving Dean and decided to plant a final kiss on his lips, Dean smiled and pulled Castiel up from the ground, dragging him off to the elevator where six of their friends were waiting.

The Ceremonial platform required eight people to start the elevator. They all had their candles out, ready to fuel the elevator for ascension. The pair headed for their own switch, and they all lit the eight switches. The floor wobbled and clanged as the platform started to rise. Castiel took Dean’s hand as they waited for the ceiling to open up, and Dean squeezed Castiel’s hand before flapping his cape, sending them into the air and right to Oreo’s grave. Their other friends followed and took their positions to summon Oreo. They lifted one arm up in the sky amongst the flutter of butterflies that guarded Oreo’s grave, allowing the butterflies to rest on their palm. The yellow butterflies that were attracted rested on the surface, turning pink as a rush of magic headed straight to the gravestone. Sam, Dean’s brother that he adopted, poked Gabriel in the ribs as he kept trying to interrupt the ritual, making the others giggle.

After a bout of waiting, Oreo’s grave flashed white and from behind the rock came trotting out a black and white puppy, his tongue lolling out from his mouth as he gave a smile, running about and asking to play with the abundance of people that came to visit him. 

They had a grand old time laughing and playing with the adorable puppy. As the others sat on Oreo and rode him (he’s a very strong puppy!), Castiel and Dean watched with delight. Castiel leaned closer to Dean’s face and whispered to him ‘thank you’. Dean smiled and pulled Castiel closer by his waist, allowing Castiel to nuzzle up against him. He knew that Castiel loved to play with Oreo, but no one ever stuck around to summon Oreo since it required eight people and everyone was busy collecting wax or just didn’t bother. Castiel had missed the fluffy animal, he had mentioned it several times to Dean his disappointment that no one seemed to bother with the puppy anymore. 

He was afraid Oreo would be forgotten.

They spent more time playing with Oreo before Dean brought them to the Vault of Knowledge, a huge tower that held different levels that was unlike the other realms. It had a vast library, and a whole area where mystical creatures like mantas and ghost mantas were held. It was also a gateway to the Eye of Eden, where Skyfolk go to be reborn.

Dean took Castiel to ride on the back of the ghost mantas, transparent mantas that swam together until the lanterns on their backs were disturbed. 

Which was what they did.

They sat leisurely as the large ghost manta they were on swam through the weightless air and they talked about no particular topic, and later floated beside the manta, allowing the creature to drag them along with its gravitational pull.

Then, Dean took Castiel up to the highest floor, where a squadron of mantas would send Skyfolk that were climbing up the vault to the Elder’s island where her shrine stood. When they reached the island, Charlie was already there, her candlelight table propped up in front of her as she gave a proud grin. Beside her stood Adam, Samandriel, and Jo, instruments in their hands and ready to play. Dean guided Castiel to the table, where Charlie promptly conjured a red candle to light up the candles on their table. The warm glow from the candles shone on their faces as the soft red maroon tablecloth glowed a little brighter. Charlie clapped her hands twice and out came their other friends, all holding plates of food and serving it to the couple, acting like professional waiters before scurrying off behind the shrine with a large smile plastered on their faces. 

Dean gave Charlie a look, whose eyes flew wide in understanding and bringing her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh, and disappearing off in the direction where their other friends had gone. The band started playing music out of sync as the couple laughed and ate their meal, sharing tender looks and mindless conversation. At the end of the full course meal, Dean took Castiel to float up to the pillars of the Vault, allowing himself to be carried by the magic currents of the Vault, leaving their friends on the island to clear up.

They perched themselves on one of the beams as Castiel gazed up at the starry sky, knowing full well that they were still in a tower, and yet it felt like they were flying around in the galaxy, surrounded by speckles of orange, white, and blue orbs that twinkled in the most beautiful ways. He turned around to point out a cluster of orbs that just glowed so charmingly at Dean, only to be greeted by the sight of Dean on one knee with a white candle out, the rainbow glow ever familiar to him. His eyes widened as Dean smiled, his lips quivering in nervousness, and Castiel took a closer look at the candle.

It was a gift of the heart.

He could feel tears well up in his eyes. A gift of a heart was an important thing. It was akin to being bonded forever, whether in platonic love, familial love, or romantic love. It was the ultimate act of affection, to show the other that they were the most important person in the gifter’s eyes. 

“Cas, we’ve been together for many seasons. I still can’t forget the day I met you. You saved my life, and offered me friendship. I remember the kindness in your beautiful eyes when you introduced yourself, your beautiful smile whenever I appeared to you. You had my heart the second we’ve met, and it’s only fair that I officially allow it to be yours forever.”

Dean hesitated, his eyes filled with uncertainty. “Will- will you accept my heart?”

He thrusted the candle a little higher to Castiel, his hopeful eyes stared intently, dimming a little with every second that Castiel stayed silent. 

Castiel cupped his hands, accepting the heart as Dean’s smile grew wider. He accepted the gift into his own crest, into his own  _ heart _ , and a burst of light exploded from his body, his system coursing with warmth and love, and he leapt into Dean’s embrace that he was already offering and sniffed in joy. They hugged for what felt like an eternity, basking in each other’s affection, the distant sound of cheering coming from the island far below their feet.

Castiel marked in his heart in silence the day Dean proposed to him as the second happiest day of his life.

“I love you.” Castiel said, his voice shaking as he cried. Dean placed a gentle kiss on his lover’s lips, wiping away the tears that caked his face. 

“Will you come look for me later? I have a gift for you too.” Castiel kissed Dean again.

A curious smile formed on Dean’s face as he looked into Castiel’s eyes. Castiel gave Dean a tight hug and went back down to the Elder’s island with Dean, thanking their friends and bidding them goodbye. Castiel sat down to meditate to go home, after all their friends had gone, giving Dean a wink and a time and place to meet him, revelling in Dean’s affectionate gaze before he warped back home.

***

Dean was instructed to meet Castiel at the Valley of Triumph, a cold icy valley with lots of slopes. They loved the place, always racing with each other and skating across the ice. Dean was especially fond of it, remembering the time he had broken down in fear and loneliness at the Elder’s colosseum, and how Castiel had comforted him and gave him the warmest hug he had ever experienced.

He put on his fluffy blue winter pants and shirt, and his favourite furry red cape that extended to his legs before excitedly jumping into the valley’s realm gate. He slid down the mountain to the open area that held the entrances to the two races that their ancestors built and loved. It was an annual event, a marathon held for the entire kingdom to see as participants raced in the flying or sliding race to earn grand prizes and royal recognitions from the ruling pair of twins. There, he spotted Castiel skating on the frozen ice, and he joined his lover. He took Castiel’s hand that had been offered and suddenly they were quickly skating into the icy water, guided by Castiel. Thankfully, the water wasn’t harmful, the clear blue pond blessed and protected by the Elder twins, allowing Skyfolk to venture in without repercussions. Castiel sat Dean down near a school of baby jellyfish that glowed and lit up the underwater cave, giving the entire pond a beautiful look as the clear blue waters under the light of the valley’s bright orange sun glowed and lit up the cave.

Castiel started gliding across the ice, his body twisting beautifully as he started a dance. He hummed a bewitching tune as he danced for Dean, occasionally smiling at Dean’s full attention on him. He gracefully bended his body, his icy blue long cape that he changed into flowing gently behind him, following his every movement and making his dance even more elegant. His perfect balance on the slippery ice helped the illusion of a glowing angel gliding across the air. Dean was completely charmed by the beautiful man before him, the soft blue glow and the jellyfish’s yellow light completely giving Castiel’s performance an even more alluring look. As Castiel’s dance came to an end, his arms falling slowly and gently to his sides, flaring his cape beautifully on display for Dean to see, he gave his stunned lover a smirk, before immediately getting jumped by a red caped man.

Castiel laughed as they hit the solid ice with a  _ chink _ sound from their bodies, and rolled around as they slid across the slippery ice. Dean refused to let him go for a long time as they got more intimate, but ultimately Castiel had to push him off and stop him before things went too far.

They flew out of the water together, Dean with a slight pout, and Castiel chuckled, kissing the pout away. Dean only brightened up when he was promised a more exciting night after.

He watched as Castiel dried himself, flapping his cape to shake out the water, and emanating a soft glow, using his light to warm himself up.

It reminded Dean of the time he realised he was in love with Castiel.

They were walking through the Hidden Forest, a dangerous yet beautiful place for Skyfolk. The forest was prone to rain in its eternal state. Each realm had their own eternal state, where time had stopped when the Elders died. The forest had wept the day the Forest Elder fell, and so now the Skyfolk had to brave the unrelenting rain to get to the Elder temple every day.

Castiel had somehow procured an umbrella, and he invited Dean to have a walk with him. Past the gate after the safe, dry woods, they entered the forest where droplets of water started falling from the sky as it always did, getting more and more intense until harsh droplets of water hit heavily onto the surface of the pond in the middle of the small temple. The umbrella served them well, only little drops of rain hitting them at times and sucking their light out of them, but it quickly replenished with them recharging each other. 

Somewhere along the way, Castiel gave a mischievous smirk and kept the umbrella away, causing Dean to yelp when the cold rain hit their bodies. Dean gave Castiel a look of worry, when he realised the man was dancing in the rain. It was cheerful, not elegant, as he pranced and skipped and held his arms out to take in the water that was taking his energy away. He watched as Castiel’s beautiful teal blue cape was being sapped of its energy, and hurried along to help Castiel recharge, ignoring his own energy that was being lost to the environment as well. Dean latched himself onto Castiel, but it wasn’t enough to recharge faster than what he was losing. Castiel saw the panic in Dean’s eyes, and offered a hug. Dean never refused Castiel, and as they embraced, a warmth filled their bodies and they felt rejuvenated as the light they lost came rushing back in. He pulled away to look into Castiel’s sapphire blue eyes, gleaming with mischief and joy. He found himself staring for far too long, wanting to take in the features of the smiling man before him. He wanted to cup Castiel’s cheeks with his hands, to be closer to him, and to protect that beautiful smile.

His chest thumped loudly and he felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. 

The cold rain suddenly felt like it dissipated as he felt nothing but warmth coursing through his body, tingling his skin and he held the man in front of him.

Castiel offered his hand, which he took, and they swung around together under the punishing rain, hiding under light mushrooms when it seemed like their energy was starting to get low. The rain suddenly didn’t seem as hostile as it was in the past, as Dean let himself go and ran around with Castiel through the wet grass. Castiel then brought him past a spirit gate to the Sunny Forest when he was done with the rain. He kicked the water from the small pond as he flared his wings to dry himself, then another cheeky grin hung on his face as he waited for Dean to get closer, before scooping up a large amount of water with his hands and splashing it directly onto Dean, who had already dried himself off. 

They started another playfight, wetting each other again as Dean took in the beautiful sight of a laughing Castiel drenched to the bones, the pale yellow light from the sun that was hidden behind the clouds falling softly onto Castiel’s face. They finally had enough and dried themselves off again, and sat in the treehouse with a long table and bench that seemed way too big for Skyfolk and rather for their ancestors and Elders instead, and the whole time they were together Dean could only think of how much he wanted to be with this man forever.

How much he had come to love him.

And that revelation had scared him because why would a strong, beautiful man such as Castiel choose him? But it also filled him with excitement and love because yes, he finally had a name for this feeling that plagued him all those seasons. He loved this man before him, his friend, his saviour, his everything, and it didn’t matter if Castiel didn’t choose him because he would love and protect him and stay by his side forever.

The day he decided to confess was the most nerve wracking day of his life, which also turned out to be his happiest. 

He hadn’t thought to get an answer from Castiel at all. He was just bursting with affection and fear and felt that if he didn’t say anything he was going to explode and embarrass himself under an uncontrollable situation and he didn’t want to scare Castiel away, so he decided that he would confess under a situation in his control, even if Castiel was going to push him away after.

The relief that washed over him when Castiel not only did  _ not _ reject him, but rather knocked him to the ground and told him that he loved him too. Dean couldn’t believe his ears, but he saw the absolute  _ love _ that screamed in Castiel’s eyes and he knew that it was mutual.

Sometimes, when they passed by the centuries old dark dragon that had attacked him the very first time he visited the wasteland, he would mutter a soft ‘thank you’ under his breath for helping him meet his true love.

Castiel brought him to the village where an ancestor had dreamt of becoming the best ice skater in the village, after their champion skater. She eventually did, and left a legacy for the Skyfolk to discover. 

The ice rink stood in the middle of the village, surrounded by houses built into the snowy mountains and hills. In the middle of the rink was the village’s very own champion, honoured by a large stone statue that kept his legacy immortal. 

Castiel took Dean’s hand as he backed up onto the ice, letting his feet slide naturally as he pulled Dean with him. They skated around for a bit, then Dean decided to pull Castiel in. He held on to his waist as they continued skating, and soon it turned into a dance. They moved in perfect coordination, Dean twirling Castiel around as the breeze in their faces picked up from their increasing speed, and he swung Castiel around by his hips, lifting him up and allowing Castiel to wrap his thighs around Dean’s waist, staring longingly into each other’s eyes before skidding to a stop. They were about to lean in for a kiss, when a soft cough came from the statue. A blue apparition of a young girl waved shyly at them, and they recognised her as the ancestor that succeeded the champion. They blushed and parted, their hands still locked together. The spirit smiled and offered to teach them some tricks.

They had fun spinning and skating and dancing on the ice.

Exhausted from the physical activity, they took the ship up to the mountains. They relaxed on the unmanned boat that rowed itself up the mountain side, admiring the beautiful orange sky in the realm’s eternal state. Castiel pointed out a hot spring that settled in a cave on the side of one of the cliffs, and winked at Dean as he suggested they visit later, receiving a blush from Dean and determined eyes. Once they reached the top of the mountain, Castiel suddenly sprung a race onto an unsuspecting Dean and cheekily started first, leaving a dumbfounded Dean to collect himself quickly and slide after him. He quickly caught up, to the surprise of Castiel, and sped up, leaving his lover behind to shout at him happily. He reached the bottom first and skidded to a stop, turning around to see his lover sliding down with a wide grin on his face and stopping right before they collided.

“I won.” Dean panted.

Castiel smiled and walked forward, so close that one slight tip of the body and they would be fully touching. Dean took the hint and swung his arms out, letting Castiel snuggle into his chest as he brought his arms to rest on his lover’s hips. Then, he felt the warm body grinding against his groin, and he let out an involuntary groan before Castiel pulled away from him with a mischievous smile. He leaned in and gave Dean a kiss, dragging his tongue up Dean’s lips before parting. 

Dean gave Castiel an intense stare, his pupils fully blown in arousal.

Castiel smirked. “Later,” he said as he placed his index finger onto Dean’s lips and walked off.

“Tease.” Dean huffed grumpily as he followed behind Castiel, who giggled and offered his hand and interlocked their fingers.

They climbed up the mountain again, a slow stroll as they enjoyed each other’s company, and settled on a rock platform conveniently placed amongst a vast sea of clouds, where the permanent sunset of the valley sat snugly in the horizon half buried, but not before Castiel had teased Dean again and almost got himself jumped.

“You want your prize?” he had whispered into Dean’s ear. Dean had raised an eyebrow and jolted when Castiel ran his hand much too close to his crotch.

“Later.” Castiel repeated again, fully relishing in the hungry look that his lover was giving him.

They sat down on the edge, allowing their feet to dangle off the side and tickled by the soft clouds, watching the huge yellow sphere in the horizon. Dean had once mentioned that it looked like a ball of cheese, but Castiel said it was more like an egg yolk to him. They had a whole afternoon of playful debate on what it looked like, and they had fallen asleep in the warm glow of the sun.

Their fingers played with each other as Castiel plopped his head on Dean’s shoulder. He started reminiscing about the times they shared together. When they first met, the times they spent playing together, collecting wax together, the adventures they had together, and how it all led to where they were now.

Dean pulled Castiel closer as he listened, enjoying the soothing low rumble of Castiel’s voice as he idly spoke.

When Castiel slowly trailed off, he drew his hand close to his chest, pressing onto his crest, and smiled up at Dean who returned the affectionate smile. Castiel stood up, dusting the snow off his pants, and helped Dean up as well. 

Then, he forged a white candle and kneeled on one knee. Castiel didn’t even have to say anything, Dean didn’t even pause. He readily accepted the gift of the heart and as he pressed the wax into his crest, the feeling of warmth and love encapsulating his entire being, his vision went blurry as hot tears fell down his cheeks. Castiel, like he had done earlier, opened his arms in invitation and Dean gave his lover, his  _ mate _ , the tightest hug he could muster. He relaxed a little when Castiel gave a tiny ‘oof’ and a soft chuckle. 

“So is this the best Valentine’s Day of your life?” Castiel joked as they pulled apart.

Dean rested his forehead on Castiel’s, their breaths hot on each other’s lips as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“This is the best day of my life, period.” Dean replied, his eyes filled with sincerity and devotion. He lifted Castiel’s face up, giving his mate another kiss to seal their eternal love together, this time with so much more love and tenderness behind it than every kiss they had shared before, putting their entire  _ being _ into the intimate action, and as they pulled away to look into each other’s eyes, they found nothing but pure love for each other and a promise of eternity that both of them swore to uphold forever.

**Author's Note:**

> I really highly recommend Sky: Children of the Light. It's a mobile game available on iOS and Android right now and it is so good for my mental health. The game itself is extremely wholesome and the friends I've made there have become so important to me. The graphics are also amazing and all and it's just... such an amazing game.
> 
> And to imagine Dean and Cas in a paradise like that is so beautiful because I think it fits them most (possibly could be their own heaven too), just having the most breathtaking views each day, going on adventures together and play together and just... be together in such a lovely place. They deserve it I think.
> 
> Now with images to help your imagination! https://imgur.com/a/DgDl0yx


End file.
